Easter and Brad's Birthday

Well, I said I was back to blogging, but I haven't blogged. :) Brad has lectured and admonished me for it. Now, I'm sitting up and getting this post done while he is cozy and warm in the bed. Hmmm... how is that fair? :)


This weekend was jam packed with fun times, including a wonderful Easter and my hubby's 30th birthday. No, we didn't have a party, so don't get your feelings hurt that you weren't invited. :) Jake and Bailey were pretty peeved about it and were not happy to find out that we weren't having a superhero or princess bash. But, they calmed down pretty quickly when they found out that Easter was on the same day and they'd still get Easter baskets filled with goodies... it would be close enough to birthday gifts, right?! 


Honestly, this weekend was quite enjoyable because it was pretty low key. Well, except that the storms that raged across the country kept coming through our part of the world and wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule. :) But, oh well, such is life. 


We spent our Saturday at church at the Easter Eggs-travaganza they had planned. It was a carnival-style event, complete with an inflatable, cupcake walk, and the Easter bunny. But don't worry too much. It wasn't all commercialized. :) My absolute favorite part of the event was that they took the effort to make sure that every child understood the story of Jesus' resurrection. Upon entering, the children were given a large Easter egg and a slip of paper with a list of items on it. The items included a crown of thorns, a cross, and an empty Easter egg (there were more, I just can't recall them all off the top of my head). The kids had to go around to people in the gym and "find" the items. Once they had them all, they could jump in the inflatable. It was great to see the adults taking the time to not only give the kids their items, but talk to them about what they stood for. I loved it... it was fun and educational. 


I have to say that it was quite interesting that our church did this scavenger hunt. Apparently, they are on the same listserv as Jake's preschool, because he also came home with a basket of eggs, all of them including something about the story of Jesus inside of them. Again, I love... especially because Jake told me every item and what it stood for without me asking. He is fascinated by the story of Jesus and "the bad guys." He impressed me so much when he came home last Wednesday, telling me about the play they had seen at school. He said, "Mom... I saw a pway (or movie, since he told me three different times and called it a movie too) at school about Jesus. The bad guys put nails in his hands and stuck him on the cross. Then, he died. And they moved the rock... and he was gone. He was still alive." Of course, he doesn't entirely understand the resurrection, but he was fascinated. My heart melted... he kept telling me how he loves chapel. He might not care about learning his ABCs, but he sure does love the story of Jesus. Gush. 


On Easter morning, the Easter bunny had left goodies for the kids. They enjoyed a DS game, lots of candy, some cheapy books, bubbles, and tattoos. We colored Easter eggs. But, we didn't make it to church, despite our attempt to get moving and ready on time, but we did have our own little "service" at home. We read the story of Jesus and talked about Easter. We talked about how God gave his son for the world... and how we hoped that we would never have to make such a terrible sacrifice. Bailey, who knows the story of Jesus, still seemed shocked by it. And, I loved that. She, like us, just cannot comprehend how the people who saw Jesus work his miracles could not believe the He was God's son. It seems like it would have been so easy to be faithful and believing in those times... but then again, God gives us the miracle of life daily... and we still find ways to take it for granted. :) 

Speaking of the miracle of life... my husband turned 30 on Easter, which pleased me greatly. :) Now, I can stop hearing about how ancient I am. :) 


We had dinner at Asuka on Sunday to celebrate both Brad's birthday and Easter. Yay for birthdays!!! No cooking! :) And, thank God for my husband and another year to celebrate together. Love you babe... and hope you had a great birthday. 

And, for the moment you've all been waiting for... 


Easter outfit pictures! :) 


I couldn't pick. So, be warned... there are several. :) The kids were really enjoying playing it up for the camera, so I took full advantage. And, I loved that I have a new bench (made by my hubby) for the kids to sit on at our kitchen table! :)

  

   

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter, too! I'll be posting more on Friday, about my upcoming trip to Nashville for the half marathon... :) "Talk" to you again soon! :)